Kent · London and the South East
Ashbank Chimney Survey
A survey of chimney stacks, pots, flashings and flaunching across Ashbank, using drones and thermal imaging where applicable. Call or email for a price.
- Damp on a chimney breast inside
- Disused chimneys trapping moisture
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
When to book a survey in Ashbank
Where a chimney meets the roof, lead flashings keep water out. They can lift in wind, crack with age or pull out of the mortar joints. Failed flashings are one of the most common causes of damp around chimneys. Lead is also a target for theft.
We’re often asked to look at:
- A stack that appears to lean
- Flashings pulling away from the stack
- Spalled or crumbling bricks
- Damaged chimney pots and cowls
If you own one of the older houses in the streets near St Nicholas's Church, old fixings, lead flashings and tall chimneys are typical of older roofs.
Before you book any roof surveyor
- Is there a chance to talk the report through?
- Whether VAT is in the quoted price
- Will they check the loft as well as the outside?
- What’s outside the scope of the survey
Chimney survey in Ashbank: what you get
If you are buying a home with chimneys, it’s worth knowing their condition before you exchange. Cracked flaunching, failed flashings and worn pointing are common findings on older stacks. You get photographs and findings you can take back to the seller or agent. It complements a RICS home survey rather than replacing it. If you’ve noticed damp on a chimney breast inside and cracked or missing flaunching, we can find out what’s behind it.
In a small place like Ashbank, many roofs stand in the open, which is hard on ridges, chimneys, flashings and gutters. Damp in old walls is slow to dry, so a small leak can do a lot of harm. A roof report shows what needs attention first. Lead flashings and old chimney stacks are frequently where weather gets in first.
Where we can’t see part of the chimney stack, the report says so. That way, it is clear what was covered and what wasn’t.
- Location
- Ashbank (ME17)
- Wider area
- Kent
- Cost
- From £150 inc. VAT
- Report
- Emailed report with photos and recommendations
- When we survey
- Weekdays, Saturdays and Sundays
- Insurance
- PI and public liability insurance
- Call
- 07833 053749
- Last updated
- 27 October 2026
Other services in Ashbank
Roof by roof
Lead flashings
Over time, lead can lift or come away from the brickwork. Any loose or split flashings are recorded.
Chimney breasts and the loft
Stains on timbers or brickwork around the stack can point to a leak. What we find is photographed and described.
Leave it or get it looked at?
Most people never get a careful look at their chimney stacks. Defects tend to go unseen until there’s a stain. A survey gives you a clear picture before that happens. Where a roof is exposed, as many are in small places like Ashbank, driving rain gets into any weakness, and older walls, once damp, take a long time to dry.
Prices start from £150, including VAT. The final price depends on how big and how high the roof is, how it can be seen safely and which survey you book.
Why choose Independent Roof Survey in Ashbank
- 98% customer satisfaction
- CAA-registered drone operator (Flyer ID and Operator ID)
- Drones and thermal imaging where applicable
- An independent look at the roof
Take a look at how roof surveys are priced or our case studies.
Checking the roof from ground level
The one thing to avoid is getting up close. Slates, tiles, flat roofs and rooflights can give way, and falls from height are serious. That part is for a survey.
Inside, the loft is a good place to look, with care. Use a torch and stay on the joists or boards, and look for staining, damp timber or daylight coming through.
What happens on the day
Once we’ve finished looking, we write up our findings as a report with photographs, sent to you by email. As for time on site, it normally takes about one to two hours on an ordinary house, rising to roughly 3–4 hours on a commercial building. Cottages and farmhouses around Ashbank often have roofs at several levels, with lean-tos and outbuildings attached. Each part is looked at from wherever it can safely be seen, and anything we cannot see is noted.
- First you let us know about the chimneys, any damp on the chimney breasts and any worries.
- Each chimney is viewed from wherever it can safely be seen.
- The pots, cowls, flaunching, pointing, brickwork and flashings are checked and photographed.
- Where there’s safe access, we look at the stack in the loft and the chimney breasts for damp.
- You get a photo-illustrated written report and our recommendations.
Before we arrive
- If you are buying, let the agent know when we’re coming
- Let us know where we can park nearby
- Find any records of previous roof work
Arrange a survey
Getting a price is simple: just call 07833 053749 or email us and give us a few details about the property and we’ll suggest the right survey. We confirm the price before anything is booked.
Related advice
FAQs for Ashbank
Do you cover smaller places like Ashbank?
Yes, we do. We work right across London and the South East, and smaller places are part of that. Longer journeys are simply planned beforehand.
Do you survey roofs for landlords with property near Hollingbourne station?
Yes, landlords and agents are among the people we work for. You can ring 07833 053749 or drop us an email with the address and what you need.
Is it a problem to have an unused chimney?
An unused stack still needs to stay weathertight and ventilated. Capping without airflow can lead to damp. We check how it’s capped and its condition, so you can plan what to do with it.
Is it a structural engineer’s report?
No. Visible signs such as deflection or sagging are recorded, but calculations and an engineer’s opinion are outside what we do. The report will say if you need an engineer.
What’s the best way to book?
Just phone 07833 053749 or send us an email with the address. We’ll ask a few questions, confirm the price and agree a date.
Do you climb onto every roof?
Only when it is safe. Safety comes first, and fragile or steep roofs can’t always be walked on. Safe viewpoints, the loft and a drone where it applies let us see the rest.
Will you fly a drone over my roof?
Yes, where it is applicable. We hold a CAA Flyer ID and Operator ID and fly a drone under 250g, and the airspace and weather are checked before every flight.
Chimney surveys around Ashbank
Many older homes in Kent have handmade clay tiles, including Kent peg tiles held by pegs through two holes, and tile-hanging on their upper walls. Oast houses and timber-framed Wealden hall houses are part of the county’s older buildings too. Each of these coverings has its own weak points, from fixings and valleys to flashings, chimneys and gutters. Historic houses such as Leeds Castle, about 0.6 miles east, show how far back building in the area around Ashbank goes. Older homes in the wider area often have features worth a closer look, like lead valleys, tall stacks and roofs that have been patched over the years, and any change of roofing material on a listed home needs checking with the council first.
Take a building like Leeds and Broomfield Church of England Primary School: long gutter runs and wide roofs on a building that size are worth checking on a regular cycle. If you own a rental within reach of Hollingbourne station, a dated record of the roof is useful when planning maintenance across a let.
Ashbank is about 4 miles east of Maidstone, in Kent. We survey roofs in Ashbank and the surrounding area as part of our work across London and the South East. We cover towns and villages across Kent, large and small.
Here we cover the ME17 postcode area for chimney surveys. That includes homes and businesses on George Lane and Wykeham Grove and the roads around them. We also cover the places around Ashbank: Leeds (1 mile south-west), Broomfield (1 mile south-east), Eyhorne Street (1 mile north-east), Chegworth (1 mile east) and Hollingbourne (2 miles north-east). Further out, we also cover Maidstone (4 miles west), Ashford (13 miles south-east), Sittingbourne (8 miles north-east), Tonbridge (15 miles west), Faversham (12 miles east) and Minster (14 miles north-east).
Near you in Ashbank
We work in homes and buildings around The George Inn and the streets around them. The closest station to Ashbank is Hollingbourne station, roughly 1.1 miles north-east. Other landmarks nearby include KIMS hospital (3.6 miles north-west) and The Dog Collar Museum (0.6 miles east). Not far away are Detling Hill.
Tips from our surveys
These tips come from what we see on roofs every week:
- Ask for ventilated caps on redundant stacks
- Have the flue swept and checked if you use the fire
- Look at the chimneys with binoculars after a storm
- Check fixings on the stack are secure
You get the report by email and can pass it to whoever does the work. Each defect is described in plain words and shown in a photo, so it’s easy to follow.
Make sure redundant flues are capped with ventilation. That helps stop damp building up inside.